Modern construction projects often use synthetic materials for siding on the outside of houses and other buildings. Historically, the siding has included vinyl siding or Masonite®, but more recently, consumers have turned to newer options, such as fiber cement siding. One of the most well known fiber cement siding companies markets its product as HardiPlank™. Fiber cement siding is typically installed on the outside wall of the construction by attaching the fiber cement planks to studs for a nice exterior finish to a residence or other building.
All construction products include outside fixtures, such as lights, spigots, vents, and other utility equipment that must be accommodated within the wall construction. Likewise, the engineer installing the siding on the outside of the building must work around these fixtures. The industry, therefore, faced a need for a mechanism that allowed the fixtures to function properly and fit well with the outer siding applied to the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,708 (MacLeod 1990) shows an example of such a wall mount assembly that has been particularly useful with vinyl siding. The MacLeod device includes a main one piece bracket that is nailed or screwed to the outside wall. The bracket has a recessed front wall surrounded by peripheral edge that receives therein a mounting block, referred to in the '708 patent as a flange member. The recessed front wall defines an opening that allows the installation to match an opening in the wall for utility work. The outer edge of the bracket has nail or screw slots for attaching the bracket flush against the wall. The mounting block or flange member includes an opening that fits over the opening in the recessed front wall of the bracket. In operation, the MacLeod '708 device provides for the bracket to be nailed flush against the wall, and then the mounting block lines up the holes for the desired fixture fitting. The device is characterized by a locking, or snap-in, feature such that the mounting block has tabs that engage recesses in the bracket for sturdy assembly. The siding, most likely vinyl siding, is applied around the bracket so that the nails attaching the mounting bracket to the wall are covered. The mounting block is made of a similar material and color for an even, aesthetically pleasing transition from siding to fixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,409 (MacLeod 1991) continues along the same line as the '708 patent. In the MacLeod '409 device, however, the bracket is screwed directly into the siding. Convex bracket edges and attachment beads on diametrically opposed sides ensure proper fitting over previously installed siding. The problem with the MacLeod '409 device is that the fixture mounting assembly is entirely visible, and the siding installation crew has to be careful to remember to leave openings in the siding installation for the utility work.
In a design similar to the two patents described above, U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,060 (Chubb 1994) was reissued by the United States Patent Office as U.S. RE 38,881 (Chubb 2005). Chubb discloses a plastic building wall mount assembly having a one-piece bracket with a back wall and an integral continuous peripheral wall (i.e., the back wall is generally recessed within the peripheral wall of the bracket). Like the other embodiments noted above, Chubb attaches the bracket to the outer wall of the building during construction via an outer flange surrounding the continuous peripheral wall. The outer flange has holes or slots for mounting the bracket flush with the outer wall of the building. An inner mounting assembly slides into the continuous peripheral wall of the bracket. The mounting assembly provides an access hole that fits over a corresponding hole in the bracket assembly for fitting a utility fixture there through. Siding is installed over the outer flange of the bracket so that only the mounting assembly within the bracket is visible after completing construction. The Chubb device is characterized by the mounting block having a recessed front face surrounded by a mounting block inner wall to provide the installed light or other utility with additional protection against outside elements.
Other patents show variations of the above described designs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,816 (Schiedegger 1999) shows a modular soffit vent for use with siding on houses, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,408,111 (Clark 2008) shows a mounting bracket with venting for a dryer or other exhaust.
Notably, a number of prior mounting assemblies require extensive trimming components that are separate from the actual fixture mounting. In other words, to give a polished look, the mounting assemblies require yet another piece that must be purchased and installed. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,165 (Wimberly 1992); U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,266 (Mitchell 1996); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,431 (Schiedegger 1999).
Given that in regard to utility fixtures, one size does not fit all, fixture installations benefit from modular designs that allow for proper sizing of each piece. Unfortunately, the prior mounting assemblies shown in publications to date include fixed, non-detachable pieces that engage the fixture. As such, the installer has no flexibility to customize the fixture and protective siding job. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,791 (Bosse, Jr. 1996)(showing a fixed conduit box); U.S. Pat. No. 6,951,081 (Bonshor 2005)(showing fixed bracket assembly requiring trim component); and U.S. Pat. No. 7,516,578 (Bonshor 2009)(showing a mounting assembly with a fixed mounting block that cannot be adjusted for variously sized fixtures).
A need exists, therefore, for a fixture mounting assembly that provides access to the wall of the structure, a place for fixtures to be mounted with precision, and a mechanism for installing newer types of siding, such as HardiPlank™, around the mounting assembly with a continuous and seamless appearance upon completion. The prior efforts in this regard fail to completely protect the utility fixtures at issue due to the contoured shapes of the mounting devices used therein.